Compulsive Spending: Part Two
by Kerby Anderson

Yesterday I talked about a growing social problem that I believe Christians need to address. That is the problem of compulsive spending. Yesterday, I talked about some of the symptoms of compulsive spending. They were: being addicted to credit cards and always busting the budget. Today I would like to look at some others.

1.  Creative financing - if you are juggling accounts and bills in order to accommodate your finances, compulsive spending could be your problem. If you are using one credit card to pay off a different credit card, you have a spending problem. If you can barely make the minimum payment on a credit card, you have exceeded your financial limits.

2.  Can’t help myself - if you feel like you cannot control your spending, you may be a compulsive spender. Spending money may feel reckless. Your spending habits may leave you feeling guilty, ashamed or embarrassed.

3.  Family arguments over finances - if you are having arguments with others (spouse, parents, etc.) regarding shopping or spending habits, you may be spending compulsively. Sometimes compulsive spending is not the cause (emotional distress) but the result (compensating for problems). You may be spending to make yourself feel good about yourself. Buying something new feels good, at least for a short time.

4.  Lying about purchases - in order to avoid family arguments over finances, you lie about what you bought or how much money you spent on purchases.

Materialism is a major reason for compulsive spending. Paul writes to Timothy about those  “who want to get rich”  who “fall into temptation”  and this will  “plunge men into ruin and destruction”  (1 Timothy 6:9). He therefore warns that: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”  (1 Timothy 6:10).